Truck guides

With the pandemic still looming over our heads, 2021 was a pretty action-packed year for the auto industry. Sure, you had challenges, with automakers having to contend with issues like chip shortages, causing delays to consumers. But regardless, the show had to go on and we got some pretty cool cars making their debut, predominantly towards the latter half of 2021.

Let’s get one thing out of the way, 2021 really was also the year, when the market as a whole began to embrace EV’s and you could see several automakers both the legacy as well as EV startups bring several new models to market. Having said that, we did see some pretty cool ICE cars, also make their debut. Now there were several cars that made headlines this year, it was very difficult to pick out the best ones, but the cars on this list definitely stood out. Here’s our list of some of the most highly anticipated and important cars that were unveiled in 2021.

The automotive industry is experiencing huge paradigm shifts as hybrids and electric vehicles become more integrated with the lineups that automakers currently offer. The idea of an electric pickup may have been laughable as recently as 2010, but it’s not as funny now. Within a decade, solely gasoline models in every segment will be the minority as the EVs take over. There is an obvious concern of weight as pickups and electrics are rather heavy on their own without being combined, but emerging technologies should solve this soon. None of the following trucks are currently available, but they will be able to carry out deliveries and a full days’ work on a single charge when released.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra came out with all guns blazing. It doesn’t offer a plethora of engine options like its American rivals, but it still has a strong and loyal fan base who swear by its reliability. No wonder the Tundra and the Tacoma have a high demand even in the pre-worshipped market. While the 2022 model’s highlight was the new hybrid engine, there’s one other thing that deserves attention – its composite bed. It is said to be more abuse-friendly, but is that true?

We talk about how the upcoming electric pickup trucks are fast and heavy on performance. Trucks like the Tesla Cybertruck, the Rivian R1T, the GMC Hummer EV, etc. are all quicker than some of the famous supercars of this era. Although internal combustion-engined trucks aren’t known to be ‘fast’, there are a handful of them that could are quite agile. Doug DeMuro decided to list 10 such cool fast trucks, and we agree with every entry on this list.

GM has been quite active in the pickup truck space since the beginning. It has even bifurcated its trucks between two brands – Chevrolet and GMC – and combined, both of them rake up pretty good numbers. Chevy brings in more sales as opposed to GMC and has managed to keep up with Ford and Ram in terms of models and trim levels on each of them. It even announced an electric Silverado that could arrive in a couple of years. However, the automaker has lagged in the case of a performance off-road truck. There are Silverado trims with off-roading prowess, but there’s no standalone model like the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Ram 1500 TRX.

There were rumors of Chevy working on one such product, but there’s still no concrete detail. It was rumored to be called the ZRX, but those were mere speculations. Chevy had trademarked the ‘ZRX’ moniker sometime back, but there seems to be no development on that front thus far. Is the automaker missing out on something big by not offering a performance off-road truck to the market? We sure think so.

Ford is finally adding a brand new pickup truck to its arsenal in the form of the Maverick. The truck had been spotted many times in the past, but the automaker finally confirmed its existence last week. The Maverick will be an affordable, compact truck that will slot below the Ranger in Ford’s lineup. The truck is all set to debut on June 8 on the company’s official social media channels.

Ford has been tight-lipped about the truck so far, but, that doesn’t mean nothing’s known. So, coupled with a few speculations and what’s out in the open so far, here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Ford Maverick.

Do you remember that trend from back in the day wherein owners removed the tailgates from their pickup trucks? While some just left it open, a few put a safety net in its place. I can’t vouch for any of them, but I’m sure the reasoning behind it was to let the air flow through the net, thus aiding aerodynamics. In return, you’d get better fuel economy and better performance. If you wondered the same, I’m sorry to burst your bubble because that’s not the case. In fact, it would have adverse effects on your performance and economy.

With less than impressive sales in one of the most profitable segments of the American vehicle market, and an ageing, 14-year old generation still on dealer lots, the Toyota Tundra is arguably due for a complete overhaul. And I’m here to tell you that the all-new and improved 2022 Tundra is closer than ever, with an estimated launch date sometime towards the end of 2021 as a 2022 model year.

Keep reading to find out all the latest information regarding the third generation Toyota Tundra, a truck that will be „dominating” soon.

Update: 5/20/2021 The Ford F-150 Lightning has been revealed, so head over to our in-depth coverage of America’s best electric truck to learn more about it!

It’s been a while since FoMoCo’s train-pulling PR stunt came to further hype the arrival of the all-electric Ford F-150. As Ford has been rather tight-lipped lately about its full-electric pickup truck, we thought we’d have a look at what we know up until this point and what we should expect expect from the electric F-150. Here’s what we can report for the time being.

Trucks are the best-selling products for most automakers who have pickups in their arsenal. The competition between the three American truckmakers – Ford, GM (Chevy and GMC), and Ram – is cutthroat and they are constantly finding ways to innovate. A few years back, they decided to do something about the tailgate and make them more functional and versatile. And, the result of this was more than just a piece of metal that opens and closes and safeguards the cargo kept in the bed.

The creative folks at Ram came up with the Multifunction Tailgate and the brains at GM came up with a MultiPro tailgate. Ford, despite being the best-selling truck brand for decades, is yet to catch up on this trend. But, it has made some tweaks and additions to its power tailgate. So, which one is the best?

There is no dearth of 6x6 trucks in the market. Many aftermarket companies have cracked the code to creating fantastic six-wheel-drive pickup trucks. Not a lot of automakers make them, unless they are for military or non-civilian use, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of choices available for folks interested in these big brutes. While most of the 6x6 builds you see are generally based on the Jeep Gladiator, we’ve created a list of five impressive conversions from different automakers.

Back in the day, automakers like Dodge, Chevy, and GMC, tried to develop pickup trucks that were more than their towing and payload prowess. They came up with performance versions of their respective trucks, but could not break this perception people had about trucks and failed to create a niche. Ford, too, threw its hat into the ring with a product called the Lightning. The Lightning stayed around for a decade before going down the same way as its counterparts. But, does that mean it was a bad truck? No, sir!

With the moniker being resurrected again, we thought it would be a good time to remember the original truck and tell you everything you need to know before Ford blankets its legacy with its first electric truck with the same name.

Electric pickup trucks are all the rage right now. They are heavy on tech features, look futuristic, are quick enough to put supercars to shame, and come with power figures that will leave your jaws dropped. But in the midst of all this, we’ve lost sight of what matters the most – can it be used as a capable work truck? Yes, automakers have announced impressive towing capacities and whatnot, but are they worthy enough to replace your fuel-powered ‘work’ truck today?

Pickup trucks were always bareboned and were meant to be used as work vehicles. We saw a lot of performance, off-road trucks now, but there weren’t a lot of such options back in the day. Many automakers gave this a shot and no matter how good they were, they never made it big. One of the most prominent performance trucks from back in the day is the GMC Syclone.

The Syclone hit the automotive scene in 1991 and took everyone by surprise. Not a lot of people could fathom a truck that could take on, or probably even take down some of the most beloved supercars from that era. With performance specs that are impressive even three decades later, the GMC Syclone is the truck that the world needs today.

GMC introduced the Hummer EV supertruck last year and has now followed it up with the Hummer EV SUV. At the onset, it seems like a pickup truck that comes with a roof welded on the bed to make it an SUV. However, there is a lot more than meets the eye. Unlike the Rivian truck and SUV twins, the Hummer EV SUV has been placed as an inferior offering. There is a difference in specs, power outputs, and other things that makes it look like the second fiddle to the EV truck. The pricing, however, is on par for the standard models and there is a difference only in the Launch Edition model.

America loves pickups, but with an F-150 costing up to $80,000, it’s easy to see why maybe some people would want something cheaper. Much cheaper. So keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the upcoming Ford Baby-Bronco based Maverick - a pickup that will start at just $20,000.

2021 started with a bang for us truck lovers when Ford announced the arrival of the third-gen F-150 Raptor. What made the deal even sweet what the little disclaimer at the end of the video which said, “more to come in 2022”. Decoding this cryptic text revealed that it’s the Raptor R, which will feature a V-8 engine under the hood, as confirmed by Ford officials on Twitter soon after. Beyond this, however, there is no information available. But, using the new standard Raptor as a benchmark and a truck that will take on the Ram TRX once it arrives, we have a lot to speculate.

Ford was preparing for the 2021 F-150’s launch for quite some time. The hype surrounding the world’s best-selling truck was immense, but the pandemic threw a spanner in the works and Ford had to settle for a rather subdued launch.

Still, people had their eyes glued to the screens to watch the live steam of the truck’s debut and to see what’s new this time around. The 14th generation needed to be a step up in all the aspects given how Ram and Chevy have upped the ante in the last few years. There are improvements in most of the departments, however, there are also a few things that we would’ve liked better. So, here’s a guide that compares the 2021 F-150 to its predecessor in terms of exterior, interior, tech features, engine options, towing capabilities, and price.

People buy pickup trucks to haul and tow a lot more compared to any other type of vehicle. Even though trucks have gotten better in terms of aesthetics, ride quality, premium features, and so on, the biggest selling points are hauling and towing prowess.

No matter what, this is one thing that automakers can’t compromise on. With the number of trims, engine options, and body styles offered on trucks these days, it can get confusing to get a hang of which truck offers what kind of ratings. So, here’s a comprehensive look at the best trucks you can buy in the U.S. today – the 2021 Ford F-150 and the 2021 Ram 1500.

One of the most important aspects of a truck is its towing and payload prowess. We see automakers improve their ratings quite often, and that has to do with the structural changes made to the truck. However, this is rendered useless if you don’t offer a powerful mill under the hood to pull all the weight.

Truckmakers are known to offer multiple engine options, but you can’t have them in any body style or trim level. All of this can get quite confusing, so we decided to compare them all. We’ve already covered the 2021 Ford F-150 vs 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, so this time, it’s the 2021 Ram 1500’s turn to be compared to the king of the jungle.

For any prospective truck owners, towing and payload capacities play a major role when they’re choosing their future acquisition. Automakers realize this, too, and try to up the ante with every new model they release. The segment’s top two contenders – Ford and Chevrolet – also did the same with their 2021 model year trucks, the F-150 and the Silverado 1500. Given the number of permutations and combinations these companies have to offer in terms of trims, body styles, engine options, and drive layouts, it could get very confusing to filter out the data. So here’s a comprehensive towing and payload guide for these two trucks that break down the essentials for you.

Pickup trucks play a very important part of the American automotive culture. Companies like Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram have capitalized on it and offer their products in various combinations. Ford and Chevrolet offer six engine options each and their spread clashes with each other, but while maintaining exclusivity over the other. For instance, the Ford F-150 is offered with a hybrid engine, but the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 isn’t. The Silverado is offered with three transmissions, but the F-150 only with one. All-in-all, it boils down to your requirement at the end of the day and what fits your bill the best.

We’ve compiled a list of all the engine options offered on the 2021 models of the F-150 and the Silverado, and what trim levels they are offered on.